How to Create a Digital Non-Hazardous Waste Transfer Note
A complete walkthrough for creating a legally compliant digital WTN in WasteBolt — covering all five parts, EWC codes, vehicle prefill, e-signatures, and automatic PDF archiving.
What is a Waste Transfer Note?
A Waste Transfer Note (WTN) is the legal document that records the transfer of controlled waste between a waste producer and a waste carrier or consignee. It is required under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Duty of Care) and applies to all non-hazardous controlled waste in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Both the person transferring the waste (transferor) and the person receiving it (transferee) must sign the note and retain a copy for a minimum of two years. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to £5,000 in a Magistrates' Court or an unlimited fine in the Crown Court.
Waste Producers
Any business that generates controlled waste — offices, construction sites, hospitality, manufacturing.
Waste Carriers
Licensed carriers who transport waste on behalf of others. Must hold a valid waste carrier registration.
Waste Receivers
Facilities that receive, treat, recover or dispose of waste. Must hold the appropriate environmental permit.
What a WTN must legally contain
WasteBolt validates all required fields before allowing you to complete a note, so nothing is ever missed.
- Written description of the waste
- EWC code(s)
- Quantity (weight or volume)
- Nature of waste (solid/liquid/sludge)
- How the waste is contained
- Whether it is loose or in containers
- Transferor name & address (producer)
- Transferee name & address (receiver)
- Carrier name, address & registration no.
- Vehicle registration number
- Date and place of transfer
- Signed by both transferor & transferee
The five parts of a WTN
WasteBolt breaks the WTN form into five clearly labelled sections. WasteBolt auto-fills everything it can from your saved pick lists.
Step-by-step: creating your WTN
Navigate to Waste Transfer Notes → Create New → Non-Hazardous to begin.
Set your legislative country (one-time)
Before your first WTN, confirm which regulatory body applies to your business. This controls which EWC chapters, carrier licence formats, and declaration wording are shown. You only need to do this once — it's saved to your profile.
England & Wales uses the Environment Agency (EA). Scotland uses SEPA. Northern Ireland uses NIEA. If you operate across borders, set the primary territory and note the relevant authority on each note.
Settings → Profile Settings → Legislative Country
England & Wales
Environment Agency (EA)
Scotland
SEPA
Northern Ireland
NIEA
Add your carrier via Vehicle Prefill (optional but recommended)
If you've set up your vehicles and drivers in Pick Lists, selecting a vehicle registration auto-populates the carrier name, licence number, and driver name. This eliminates the most common source of errors and saves 30–60 seconds per note.
Set up your vehicles once under Pick Lists → Vehicles. Include the carrier company name, waste carrier licence number, and default driver. From then on, one tap fills the entire carrier section.
Carrier section → select vehicle → fields auto-populate
Complete Parts A through E
Work through the five sections. Most fields will already be populated from your profile and pick lists. Key fields to double-check:
A – Producer
- Your business name & address (auto-filled from profile)
- SIC code (your business type — found on Companies House)
- Collection address (if different from registered address)
B – Carrier
- Carrier name & address
- Waste carrier registration number (e.g. CBDU xxxxxxx)
- Vehicle registration
C – Consignee
- Receiving site name & address
- Environmental permit / exemption number
- Authorised person at the site
D – Waste Description
- Written description of the waste (be specific)
- EWC code(s) — see Step 4 below
- Quantity (in kg, tonnes, litres or cubic metres)
- Nature: solid / liquid / sludge / powder / mixed
- Containment: loose, skip, bags, drums, etc.
E – Transfer Details
- Date of transfer
- R or D code (recovery or disposal operation)
- Both signatures applied before or at point of transfer
Search and select the correct EWC code
The European Waste Catalogue (EWC) code is a 6-digit code that classifies the type of waste. It is a legal requirement. WasteBolt's built-in search lets you find the right code by keyword — you don't need to know the number in advance.
Search by what the waste is, not what it came from. 'Cardboard' → 15 01 01. 'Food waste' → 20 01 08. 'Mixed construction' → 17 09 04. When in doubt, use the most specific code that applies.
Waste Description → Search EWC Code
Select the R or D recovery/disposal code
Every WTN must state whether the waste is going to be recovered (R codes) or disposed of (D codes). Your receiving facility will know which code applies to their site permit — ask them if unsure.
| Code | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | Use as fuel or other means to generate energy | Recovery |
| R3 | Recycling/reclamation of organic substances | Recovery |
| R4 | Recycling/reclamation of metals and metal compounds | Recovery |
| R5 | Recycling/reclamation of other inorganic materials | Recovery |
| R13 | Storage of wastes pending recovery | Recovery |
| D1 | Deposit into or onto land (e.g. landfill) | Disposal |
| D9 | Physico-chemical treatment | Disposal |
| D10 | Incineration on land | Disposal |
WasteBolt includes the full R and D code list. Your consignee facility should tell you which code applies to their site permit.
Save as Draft or Complete the Note
When all sections are filled and validated, choose how to proceed. Save Draft keeps the note editable. Complete issues it legally and locks the record.
- Saves all entered data
- Can be edited anytime
- Not yet legally issued
- Pick up where you left off
- Legally issued WTN
- Signature requests sent
- PDF generated
- Cannot be edited after
Important: Once a WTN is marked Complete, it cannot be edited. This mirrors the legal status of a signed paper note. Always double-check details before completing.
Collect e-signatures from all parties
A WTN is only legally valid when signed by both the transferor and transferee. WasteBolt handles the full signature workflow — you sign first in-app, then WasteBolt sends a secure signing link to the carrier and consignee.
External signers (carrier, consignee) don't need a WasteBolt account. They receive a secure link, view the note, and sign on their own device. The signature is recorded with a timestamp, date, and IP address.
Draw or type your signature in the app. Timestamped and IP-logged automatically.
WasteBolt sends a secure signing link. No account required for external signers.
Legally compliant, tamper-evident PDF stored in your cloud archive. Retained for 2+ years.
PDF generated and stored automatically
Once all signatures are collected, WasteBolt generates a legally formatted PDF of the completed WTN. It is stored in your cloud archive, accessible anytime, and can be emailed to any party with one click.
WasteBolt retains all WTNs for the legally required 2-year minimum. You can filter, search, and export your full archive at any time from the WTN Hub.
Digital Waste Tracking — Mandatory October 2026
The Environment Agency's Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) system becomes mandatory for all permitted waste sites in England from October 2026. Every WTN you create in WasteBolt today is structured in the DWT-compatible format, so when the mandate arrives, your data is ready to submit with no re-entry, no spreadsheets, and no scramble.
WTN vs Season Ticket — which should I use?
A Season Ticket (also called a Quarterly or Annual Note) can replace individual WTNs when the same waste type moves regularly between the same two parties.
| WTN (Single Transfer) | Season Ticket (Ongoing) | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | One transfer | Multiple transfers over up to 12 months |
| Parties | Can vary each time | Same parties throughout |
| Waste type | Any | Must be the same type of waste |
| Best for | One-off or irregular collections | Regular/recurring waste collections |
| Signing | Every transfer | Once at the start of the period |
| Retention | 2 years | 2 years from expiry |